Which C.S. Lewis book argues that modern society risks losing objective moral values?

The Abolition of Man is the C.S. Lewis book that argues modern society risks losing objective moral values. It developed from three lectures Lewis delivered at the University of Durham in 1943.

The book criticizes an approach to education that treats moral judgments as nothing more than subjective feelings. Lewis argues that traditions across cultures recognize a shared moral order, which he calls the Tao.

Its three chapters examine education, moral subjectivism, and the consequences of trying to reshape humanity through technological control. Lewis warns that rejecting objective values may not liberate people; instead, it may leave a small group able to manipulate everyone else.

The title does not refer to the physical extinction of humanity. “Abolition” describes the loss of qualities associated with human moral agency, especially the ability to recognize and respond to objective value.